


Guardbreak

by PearHoliday



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Advent Calendar, Aged-Up Characters, Christmas, Drinking Games, Engaged Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, F/M, Identity Reveal, Kinda also MariChat and Ladrien I suppose?, MLF December 2020, gets a little steamy toward the end but it's still SFW don't worry ladies and lads, implied former adrigami, implied former lukanette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:53:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27812584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PearHoliday/pseuds/PearHoliday
Summary: Being stuck in a closet with their transformations down wasn't how Ladybug and Chat Noir had planned on spending their Christmas Eve – and yet, here they were. At least they have a bottle of booze and ten years' worth of questions to keep them entertained. [Aged-up characters]My submission for the Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server's December 2020 Advent Calendar.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 50
Kudos: 322
Collections: December 2020 - Advent Calendar





	Guardbreak

**Author's Note:**

> My first foray into the MLB fanfic world, yay! Shout-out to MarinetteAgresteBrand for helping me corral in the plot bunnies and beta-ing for me – this prompt was a tough one.

‘Twas the night before Christmas in Paris, and streets were aglow with strings of warm lights. Fat snowflakes drifted down lazily to coat the rooftops, and below Parisians were gathering around warm hearths, sharing roasted chestnuts with their loved ones, and enjoying steaming mugs of mulled wine. Unfortunately, none of the above could be said for Ladybug and Chat Noir, who’d been called to Le Grand Paris to deal with a minor akumatization.

“Thank you very much, Ladybug and Chat Noir!” Mayor Bourgeois declared jovially from behind his desk, after the two heroes safely sealed away yet another akuma that his daughter had had some hand in spawning.

“Just doing our job, Mayor.” Ladybug flashed him a weary smile. 

Chat nodded. “Yes, it was a  _ paw-leasure _ . Thankfully, this one didn’t take too long.” His partner groaned.

“Yes, I know. But it’s the night before Christmas!” the mayor said, looking apologetic. “Even superheroes deserve Christmas Eve off.”

“Yes, well, perhaps Chloe will be more conscientious next year,” Ladybug muttered to herself. Chat shot her a look.

“Well, you simply must allow me to thank you.” Frowning slightly, he rummaged around for a bit with the directionlessness of someone who’d clearly not prepared anything. “Oh, here you go! It’s the least I can do, really.” He handed Ladybug a box reading “Twenty-five days of Christmas” embossed in gold. 

“Oh, um, thank you.” She forced a smile, flipping it over. “I do like chocolate.” This definitely beat the two small bags of potato chips—“handcrafted in small batches, and very expensive!”—he’d given them last year, at least. Of course, one would think that a man as wealthy as Mayor Bourgeois could offer his city’s heroes something better than a clearly-regifted advent calendar on the day before Christmas, but she wasn’t one to be ungracious. Well, to people’s faces, anyway. 

Chat Noir looked at the mayor expectantly, and the older man blinked. “Um, that’s for both of you to share.”

“Right, thank you.” Chat said, plastering on a winning smile without missing a beat. “Truly generous of you, really.” Ladybug fought back a giggle.

As if on cue, Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses beeped in unison. “Well, we’ve got to run. Bug out!” Ladybug called, running out of the office with Chat on her heels. 

The mayor beamed. “You’re welcome!”

Dashing out of the mayor’s office, Ladybug turned a corner in the maze-like hotel and sighed in exasperation. Because of their dallying, she wouldn’t have the time to find a suitable place outside to detransform. She turned to Chat Noir, whose panicked stare back indicated that he was in a similar predicament.

“Over there!” she pointed at a supply room door, propped open by a mop. 

Chat nodded, opening the door and gesturing inside. “After you, my lady.” Giggling, Ladybug slipped in and Chat followed suit.

Once Chat closed the door behind him, he realized that “room” was somewhat of a generous term for what the two of them found themselves in. Each wall was as wide as the door they’d come through, and lined with crammed shelves. There was enough space for two to stand, but just barely. Sitting would probably be impossible unless the two took turns. Either way, it’d be difficult to avoid touching each other.

Ladybug’s cheeks flushed at the latter thought but quickly dismissed it, turning around so her back was pressed against Chat’s as her transformation came down. Away fell her red-and-black suit to reveal a tank top with pajama pants. The magical ribbons forming her pigtails also melted away, and her locks fell loose around her shoulders. Tikki barely managed to float into her pocket, thoroughly exhausted. 

She felt Chat’s leather suit fade away and give way to bare skin against her back. Wait, had Chat been shirtless when he’d transformed? Did he sleep naked? A cursory look downward told her that he was wearing pajama pants, at least. It was hard to tell whether the feeling that washed over her was relief or disappointment.

Her cheeks grew even warmer, but she made no move to step away. Looking down at her pajama pants pocket, she whispered, “You okay, Tikki?”

The kwami gave her a wan smile, poking her head out. “Yeah, but I definitely need a snack before we’re good to go again.” 

Marinette nodded. “Of course, take all the time you need.” She reached toward her hip where she usually kept Tikki’s pouch – then groaned. She’d jumped straight out of bed to respond to the akuma attack and hadn’t had time to change out of her pajamas, let alone grab a snack for Tikki.

“You got any camembert, kid?” Plagg croaked as he dropped onto Adrien’s shoulder. The blonde shook his head apologetically. “Afraid not. But...” he reached behind to tap on civilian Ladybug’s (bare!) shoulder.

“You still have that  _ paw-sitively thoughtful  _ gift from Mayor Bourgeoise, my lady?” Adrien chuckled.

Marinette laughed. “And here I thought your puns were a part of the Chat Noir getup.”

“I’m still me under the suit, my lady. Maybe even more me than without the mask.”

Silence settled between them. “I--” Marinette began, not knowing what to say. 

“Anyway,” he said, his tone brightening, “can you pass some for Plagg? He reached behind so his hand was in front of her.

So this was what civilian Chat’s hand looked like. It was a lot bigger, if not delicate-looking, than she’d expected. “Sure,” Marinette breathed. God, she needed to stop getting so distracted by the feeling of his muscles shifting against her shoulders. She dislodged two pieces of chocolate from the calendar for Tikki, then placed the advent calendar in Adrien’s outstretched hand. He fumbled to navigate his hand back in front of him without catching the box on one of the many items sticking out of the shelves – then gasped.

“My lady!” Adrien chided in mock-horror. “I didn’t know that you were some kind of… barbarian!”

Marinette frowned. “What are you--” she started turning to see what the fuss was about – then, remembering that Chat was detransformed, whipped her head back around.

“You didn’t seriously unwrap days 14 and 20 first?” he admonished, his voice almost shrill.

She shrugged against his back. “What does it matter? It’s Christmas in an hour anyway, and those were the first two pieces from the top--”

“Still, there are ways things are done!” she felt him shaking his head. “Seriously, I think I may need to re-evaluate my feelings for you after all. To think that Ladybug, the hero of Paris, is a heathen with zero consideration for propriety!”

Marinette rolled her eyes, not wanting to justify that with a response. Unwrapping the chocolates quickly, she placed the morsels in Tikki’s mouth. The little kwami hummed in delight, chirped a quick “thank you,” and floated over to a shelf ledge to rest.

Adrien laughed softly, extracting two pieces of chocolate for Plagg – from days 1 and 2, of course. He raised his hands to his face to unwrap them, but Plagg snatched them away before he could and swallowed both pieces whole. Smacking his lips, the small creature smiled – and then frowned.

“Wait, kid. What was in that?” Plagg said suspiciously, smacking his lips.

“Wasn’t it chocolate? And... aluminum, I’m guessing?” Adrien brought the box up to eye level. “I mean, you didn’t even let me unwrap-- oh no.”

“What?” He could feel Ladybug tensing up against him. “Something wrong?”

“Um, this chocolate has bourbon in it.” Adrien paled as he fumbled to pass the box back to her. 

Marinette frowned slightly, taking the box. “I mean, it’s just a trace amount though, right? Chocolate infused with alcohol isn’t enough to get anyone drunk.” She squinted to get a better look. Damn that cat – he’d had a serious growth spurt since their youth and he now towered above her. Which, in this context, meant that his head was blocking most of the light.

“Yeah, but… actually, this has happened to us before.” Adrien said sheepishly, as Plagg floated over to the shelf next to Tikki. “Someone gave me chocolate with rum in it once, and Plagg raided it while I was taking a shower. So um, remember the  _ Playing Mantis _ incident when I couldn’t show up until the battle was pretty much over?”

Marinette nodded slowly, not liking where this was going.

“That was because Plagg got… well, really affected by the chocolate and couldn’t transform me until he snapped out of it.”

“So how long did it take?” she said, her eyes darting over to Tikki, who’d fallen asleep.

“A good couple of hours.” he sighed.

“So...” she said, turning back to face the shelf, “we’re stuck here for at least  _ a couple of hours _ ?”

“Looks like it.”

“Shit.”

Adrien bristled. “My lady, did you just  _ swear _ ?”

“I’m a grown woman,” Marinette bit back, reaching up to scratch her head but accidentally grabbing a handful of Adrien’s instead. Damn, that was soft. Like, softer than her own hair. She briefly debated asking him what products he used.

“And now you’re stooping to near-assault,” he sighed.

“Your hair is, like… really soft.” she murmured, running her hands through it slowly.

He chuckled. “I’d hope so, for all the money I spend on it. Though if I’d known this was all it took for me to get you to touch me, I would’ve arranged for this to happen years ago.” He covered her hand with his and lowered it off his head.

“You silly kitty!” she giggled a bit more loudly than she’d meant to, blushing. Thank god he couldn’t see her. With all the blushing she was doing tonight, she was going to be beet-red from head to toe by the time they got out – and it wouldn’t be because of her costume.

“Truly, today has been a day full of revelations. Who knew my lady love was an unsophisticated barbarian who swears like a sailor?” Adrien raised a dramatic hand to his forehead, inadvertently taking a step back and pressing Marinette into the wall. “My rose-tinted glasses are shattered, I tell you. Utterly shattered.”

“That’s fine and all,” Marinette said, pushing her back against his, “but can you try to leave me some space here? It’s cramped enough as it is.”

“But my lady, I’m so cold!” Adrien shivered, and pressed himself against . “Help me keep warm, at least.”

Marinette furiously shook her head, her face growing redder and redder. “Stop it! It’s not my fault you like to sleep half-naked.” 

At that, Adrien flinched back and let out a giggle of his own. “Stop shaking your head!” He arched his back in an attempt to create some space between them. But with the lack of free space, it only took one step to close the gap between them again.

So he was ticklish, eh? “Oh, I didn’t know you had a secret weakness.” she teased, shaking her head even more vigorously against the nape of his neck. “Maybe some exposure therapy will fix you right up.”

“No, stop, I mean it--” Adrien gasped through giggles, his hands finding purchase on the shelf in front of him as he attempted—and failed—to fend off her assault by pushing her head back with his own.

Her locks brushed against a certain spot between his clavicle and his neck, and he let out a low purr.

“Wait, did you just...” Marinette laughed, fighting her temptation to turn around. He didn’t reply, which was all the confirmation she needed.

Oh, what she would give to see the look on his face. 

“What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” she teased, reaching behind to run a single finger down the nape of his neck. He’d started this game, but damn her if she wasn’t going to win.

Adrien bit back the moan rising from his chest. “Hardly, I...” His hands felt a familiar object on the shelf, and he took it down. An unopened bottle of vodka? What was this doing there?

Well, the logistics didn’t really matter. 

He passed it to Ladybug over his shoulder, pressing the cold glass against her neck for a moment just to feel her squirm. “How about we keep warm in a more  _ interesting  _ way, my lady?” With a hiss, she quickly took the bottle from him.

“Alcohol? Really, chaton?” she deadpanned. Never mind that she was feeling a slight shiver down her spine already and it had nothing to do with the temperature.

“I mean, it looks like we’re pretty much stuck here for the next couple hours,” he said, gesturing to the sleeping kwamis with a turn of his head. “Might as well have some fun, right? Plus...” he took a step back, his back against hers again. “I think this is the first time we’ve actually hung out like this without having to worry about Paris burning to the ground in the meantime.”

“That’s true,” Marinette mused, then twisted the bottle open. “All right, pick your poison. Never Have I Ever? Truth or Dare? Two Truths and a Lie? Speed facts?”

“How about Never Have I Ever?” Marinette could hear the smirk in his tone. “I have plenty of fun dare ideas, but we don’t exactly have a lot of space to work with.”

‘What kinds of dare ideas?’ danced at the tip of her tongue, but she shook the thought as quickly as it’d come. She wasn’t drunk enough for that. Not yet, anyway.

“Okay, you start.” She stretched her arms and yawned, letting her fingers linger in his hair a bit longer than necessary on their way down. Was it just her, or was he somewhat craning his head to lean into her touch?

“Hm, okay. Never have I ever… had my hair in pigtails.” 

Marinette groaned. “Come on, Chat, that’s cheating!”

“I don’t know about you – but I’m playing to win, my lady.” Adrien smirked.

“Win what? We’re stuck in a supply closet. I didn’t realize there were prizes at stake here.” Marinette groaned. 

He shook his head. “Stop stalling and drink!” Adrien unscrewed the cap, poured vodka into the cap, and passed it to her. “Make sure you get it all down! I’ll know if you try to spill it on the floor.” he said cheerily. Rolling her eyes, Marinette tossed the shot down her throat and let out a guttural hiss.

“My turn,” she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Never have I ever had blonde hair.” She passed the cap back to Adrien, and he poured and downed his own shot without protest.

“Never have I ever… enjoyed my job.” 

He heard his lady sighing in exasperation. “This is so unfair.”

“Given that we’ve never discussed our jobs, I think it’s completely fair.” he said, filling the cap again.

Marinette had to concede there. “So, can I ask what jobs you’ve had that you hated so much?” she said, sipping slowly this time.

“Well, I mean… is that okay with you?” Hesitation crept into his voice. “Because, well... you know.”

She did know.

“It’s a little ridiculous that we’ve entrusted each other with our lives since we were kids, but nothing much else – don’t you?” Marinette gingerly finished the capful. “And honestly, I think Hawk Moth is starting to give up. This was the first akuma attack in months, and it was a small fry. So anyway, details. What do you do for a living?”

While Adrien was relieved that over ten years of begging was finally starting to yield results, he didn’t really know where to begin. Did he tell her his entire life story? The intimate details of his schedule and which campaigns he’d modeled for?

Nah. If he’d had to wait this long for this chance, his lady could stand to wait a bit, too.

“I use my body to make money, essentially.” He could hear her gasp, and bit down a laugh.

“Wait, chaton. So are you--”

“Let’s just say,” he winked, though she knew he couldn’t see him, “money isn’t exactly an issue for me. Anyway, enough about me. What about you?”

“Wait, you can’t just leave it at that! I demand that you explain--” Marinette sputtered.

“Maybe I’ll elaborate if you win. But it’s your turn now.” He cut in. “So? Out with it.”

An exasperated sign. “Fashion. And I do actually enjoy my job, even though it doesn’t pay much right now. So whatever you do, you’ve got me beat there.”

Adrien’s breath hitched. Fashion? Maybe he’d worked with her before. But if she wasn’t making a lot, she was probably only getting started in the field – which would’ve made it less likely that they’d crossed paths. He shook his head. He’d think about this more later; it was her turn now. He elbowed her gently, urging her to continue the game.

They played a dozen or so more rounds, each scoring a couple of wins. They started with shallow things, like their hobbies and interests. But as the evening wore on and the alcohol muddled their better judgement, more and more intimate details began to slip through the cracks of their ten-year defense. Apparently Chat’s civilian self was more reserved, and Ladybug’s civilian self was unabashedly clumsy. Marinette also learned that Chat had been an only child who’d had an authoritarian father, which was shocking considering his goofy demeanor. And Adrien learned that Ladybug was a hell of a baker – then made her promise to let him sample some of her wares sometime. 

There was a thrilling high that accompanied the fact that they were learning more about each other in these few hours than they had in the past ten years, and the feeling was dangerously addictive. Like a dam that had burst, they couldn’t stop asking questions—or answering them—even after the bottle was nearing empty. 

With every shot, the two also found themselves growing bolder with their touch. Adrien let his fingers linger longer each time against hers as she passed him the bottle, and for this Marinette was secretly thrilled. The thought that she’d indirectly kissed Chat many times through their makeshift shot glass tonight didn’t repulse her, but rather excited her as if she were a giddy school girl again. After a particularly long sip, she briefly wondered what it’d feel like to feel his lips against hers. They did always look pretty soft and kissable, especially when he was lost in thought during an akuma battle.

“Huh? Oh, it’s my turn.” Marinette thought for a moment. “Never have I ever… confessed my feelings to anyone.” 

Adrien let out a sharp laugh. “And you said that I was playing dirty earlier.” He took a swig of the bottle, and Marinette felt a sharp twang in her chest.

“Wait, chaton, you have?” she said, leaning into his back and tilting her head up. All she could see was his golden hair, illuminated by the harsh artificial light. “So... you have a girlfriend?”

“No,” he gritted out, emboldened to honesty by the alcohol. “I’ve been confessing my feelings to you for years, in case you haven’t noticed.”

She flushed, embarrassed and relieved.

“I… I thought you were just a natural flirt.” Not that she hadn’t minded the attention. Or the eye candy, especially as he’d matured. And judging from what Marinette could see, and acutely feel against her bare skin at the moment, it was no wonder that the man could make a living off his body – a point which still needed further elaborating.

“I think we established several rounds ago that I’m not exactly the  _ pawsome  _ chaton you know in my civilian life.” he laughed ruefully. “But I actually had a girlfriend for a year a while back. I broke up with her, though.”

“Oh, um… why?” Marinette almost whispered.

“She deserved someone who was actually worthy of her feelings.” he shrugged. “The whole thing was kind of orchestrated by my father anyway, and I just went along with it because she was a good friend. I thought that feelings would follow eventually, if I worked at it.” He smiled wryly. “But that’s not how these things ever work. Anyway, her only fault was falling in love with me. I was a shitty boyfriend.”

“Poor girl.” she murmured, relieved.

“I’ve had this other friend for a long time too, though.” Marinette’s breath caught in her throat. “We’ve been friends since we were younger. Didn’t get off to a great start, but now I’d say we’re pretty close.” Adrien ran his fingers through his hair. “She started working at my fa-- um, at the same place as me recently, and I’m starting to get to know her a lot better. And honestly, I wish I’d gotten to know her this well back then. Maybe it would’ve saved a couple of people from heartbreak.”

Marinette’s throat felt dry. Was he counting himself among the “couple of people?”

“I see, so... Are you planning to ask her out, then?”

“What about you?” Adrien said, ignoring her question. ”So, you’ve never had a boyfriend? Though I’m not sure my poor heart could take it if I found out that my lady gave her heart to another!” He said, tilting his head back dramatically.

“Well, you’re in luck.” Marinette muttered. “Because I didn’t ever manage to fall in love with him. Not for a lack of trying on his part, though.”

Adrien had steeled himself for this, but felt his heart drop anyway. “So you  _ do  _ have a boyfriend.” It only made sense after all – it’d be a near-impossible task not to not fall in love with someone like Ladybug. He knew that better than anyone.

“No,  _ had _ . Lu--er, he,” she said, correcting herself quickly, “was a gentleman. You know what he said to me even before asking me out?” Adrien remained silent. 

“ _ ‘You're clear as a musical note, as sincere as a melody. You're the music that’s been playing inside my head ever since we first met.’ _ Just like, completely out of nowhere.” She sighed. “We dated in high school and broke up in a year.”

“Well, can’t blame the poor guy for having good taste.” Adrien tried to sound lighthearted over his shoulder, relieved that his face couldn’t betray how he felt. Sure, Ladybug may not have loved her ex, and it’d been years ago. But it still stung. “Musician, I’m guessing? From that line, I mean.” Another nod against his back.

”So wait, you never ended up confessing to your actual crush?”

Marinette shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know how he didn’t figure it out from all the times I humiliated myself in front of him. But...” she trailed off.

He said nothing, silently urging her to finish.

“I don’t know. By the time I wasn’t a bumbling mess in front of him anymore, he started dating someone else. Which was kind of also why I agreed to date my ex.” Marinette’s head dropped. “But being with my ex didn’t help at all. If anything, it made me feel just as terrible as I was being to him. He deserved someone who’d swoon over having songs written about her, instead of always being mildly horrified like I always was.”

Adrien shrugged. “Or maybe he should’ve taken the time to get to know you better. I always knew you were more of a dinner-by-candlelight-on-a-roof kind of gal.”

Marinette steadied herself against a shelf, and laughed softly. “Yeah, you probably know me better than anyone. Somehow I feel like I’ve known that all along.”

His heart fluttered. What did  _ that  _ mean? “Well anyway, your one big crush.” He continued. “What happened with that guy?”

“We’re still just friends now. I see him at work now too, actually. But I don’t think he’ll ever see me as more than that, and I’ve accepted that now. Our best friends are dating though, actually, and just got engaged last week.” A sigh. “That’s in the past now, though. I’m so embarrassed just thinking about how ridiculous I used to act around him. I was always stumbling on things and tripping over my words around him. He told me a while back that he used to think I hated him because of that.” Marinette laughed.

Adrien frowned. Why did that sound so familiar?

“But...” she murmured, “I haven’t been thinking about him much these days. Because someone else has been on my mind.”

Should he feel relieved or disappointed? “Oh… really?”

“Yeah.” Her fingers brushed against his leg. “Unexpectedly so.”

He merely nodded, his alcohol-clouded brain struggling to digest all this new information. Best friends getting engaged… Working together lately… Dated a musician… Stumbled over herself and her words constantly. 

Then he froze. 

It couldn’t be, could it? Surely Marinette couldn’t be Ladybug. Surely he hadn’t been dumb enough to let the girl of his dreams slip through his fingers and broke her heart by dating someone else.

But too many pieces were falling perfectly into place: Alya and Nino had gotten engaged last week. Marinette and he’d laughed about how he thought she used to hate him. She was a fantastic baker, and was always secretly bringing pastries to their fitting sessions at the Gabriel offices. And she was the only one among his classmates who’d never been akumatized. 

“Someone who has an endless supply of bad puns.” She continued, exhaling softly. “The only person I’d trust with my life.”

Adrien’s heart swelled. The irony of this moment—that she was rejecting his golden boy persona now for the stray cat who’d been pining after her all these years—was not lost on him. Was this how Beast had felt when Beauty broke his spell?

“Chaton?” she said, with a nervous giggle. “I’m pouring my heart out here. The least you could do is give me some sort of indication that you’re listening.”

“Truth or dare.” He said, almost immediately.

“What? I--”

“Truth or dare.” He repeated, stubbornness settling into his tone.

“I-- truth? Seriously, what--”

“You love me.” Adrien said simply, reaching for her hand.

“That’s not…” she trailed off. “...a question.” Her hand felt so warm and so...  _ right,  _ clasped in his.

“You’ve been right next to me all along,” he murmured. “But I was too blind to see it.” he laughed mirthlessly. No wonder he was the holder of the Black Cat Miraculous. “Truth or dare?”

“Isn’t it my turn?” Marinette asked amusedly, but Adrien didn’t answer. She let out an exasperated sigh. “Dare, I guess? What are--”

He swallowed, his heart thumping in his throat. “Turn around,” he replied, squeezing her hand.

“I...” Marinette’s heart raced, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Do you trust me?”

“More than anyone else,” she said, barely a whisper. 

Gently, he tugged at her hand to coax her as he turned – but it proved to be unnecessary as she immediately whipped around to face him, her dark hair fanning around her shoulders.

Black hair, bluebell eyes, rosebud lips. So it  _ had  _ been Marinette all along.

He saw a flash of recognition in her eyes, then red blossoming across her face. “A… Adrien?”

“Forgive me,” he whispered hoarsely, and leaned down to kiss her. 

To his relief, she didn’t pull away. Her eyes fell shut, and her hands skimmed his shoulders as he deepened the kiss. She really  _ did _ love him. Both parts of him. Dizzy with the thought, he wrapped one arm around her desperately and pulled her closer.

Adrien buried his head in the crook of her neck and inhaled. God, she smelled like sugar and flour. A light kiss there elicited a soft moan from his lady, setting his blood aflame.

“This is crazy,” Marinette murmured, her hands tracing the muscles down his back. “To think, all these years… I don’t even know if this is sheer dumb luck, or a prank from the gods, or...”

Her reverie was interrupted by another kiss. “I don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner. The same black hair in pigtails, blue eyes... and the fierce stubbornness.” His touch-starved hands worked around her back, memorizing every plane and curve. “Though I do like your hair down like this better.”

She laughed against his lips. “Were those last two things supposed to be compliments? And c’mon, admit it. The suit from the fitting last week was bunching up weird around your arms.”

Pulling her closer still, he sighed happily. “Let’s agree to disagree on that one, my lady.” 

“Less talking, more kissing,” she murmured before pulling him into another kiss. 

Adrien’s thumb ran along the underside of her ribs, prompting her lips to open in a soft gasp. He captured her lower lip gently in his, before tracing around it experimentally with the tip of his tongue. Marinette let out another small moan and her body arched into his, eliciting a groan from him as he wrapped a leg around her hips and pinned her against a shelf--

“Oh man, I don’t know what was in that chocolate,” Tikki rubbed her eyes as she floated off her perch, “but I’m ready if you are...” But upon stumbling into the scene in front of her, the red kwami’s jaw dropped. “Oh! Um...” 

Marinette and Adrien jumped apart, almost smashing their heads into the shelves.

Plagg rolled his eyes. “Learn to read the room, will you?” 

“I’m sorry!” she squeaked. “Um, carry on with what you were doing...”

Adrien shot Plagg a glare. “Wait, how long have you been awake?” he demanded.

Plagg shrugged. “Long enough. Thought I’d let you kids figure things out and take a nap in the meantime, though.”

“Oh, Marinette, I’m so sorry!” Tikki flew to the blushing girl, who couldn’t meet her eye. “I’m so glad you finally know, but I ended up ruining the moment for you guys.”

“It’s okay, Tikki.” Marinette said, fixing the strap of her tank top. “We should probably head home now though, right?”

“I mean, I don’t have plans unless you do.” Adrien smirked. “But maybe we could go somewhere roomier? You did compliment my bed during my housewarming.” Plagg made a gagging noise.

“Oh wow, visiting Adrien Agreste’s apartment at night to check out his cool bed?” Marinette fanned herself, looking every bit the docile lady. “Fourteen-year-old me would’ve passed out.”

“Oh, I’ll make you pass out.” He chuckled, eliciting another blush from Marinette. “Race you there?”

Marinette nodded, smiling mischievously. “Way ahead of you. Tikki, spots on!”

“Oh no, you don’t. Plagg, claws out!”

And off they flew into the snowy night, the advent calendar all but forgotten in the janitorial closet.

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoyed it? Hated it? Direct your passion to the comments! And as always, thanks for reading. :) You can also find me on tumblr and twitter, @pearholiday!
> 
> \- Pear


End file.
